


Show don't tell

by ClassNimitz



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Bullying, F/F, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-06-25
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:14:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClassNimitz/pseuds/ClassNimitz
Summary: Max spoils Kate with her romantic gestures, Victoria bullies Max, and my descriptions are the worst thing since unsliced bread.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Kate Marsh
Kudos: 38





	Show don't tell

Kate Marsh and Max Caulfield were one of Blackwell’s power couples. At Least according to the gossip that circulated the girl’s dorm. Max was a big believer in showing, not telling. She would sit with Kate in class and whisper sweet nothings, hold Kate’s hand in the hallway, and always walked her to her classes. Sometimes they’d hear snickers and snide remarks from the other students, and Max was quick to brush them off and remind Kate that she matters more to her than the approval of some snobby art students. 

At the end of the school day, when everyone was back in their dorm rooms, Kate and Max would spend their time together in Kate’s room. Max always made an event of coming over to Kate’s room. It was almost like a game for her, and Max’s creativity and joy when playing it made Kate’s heart flutter every time. 

In the first week, when Max and Kate were just friends, Max would bring books and movies for them to enjoy. 

On Monday she brought a flash drive she had borrowed from her friend Warren. They had a near limitless supply of sci-fi movies to choose from, but they barely made it through one movie before they fell asleep on the couch.On Tuesday she brought over her copy of Blade Runner director’s cut, Kate had reservations on if she obtained it legitimately or not. On Wednesday Kate asked Max to bring some books so they could discuss ideas for a book club. When Kate opened the door to let Max in, she was greeted by the sight of Max watching as Victoria and her goons tore pages out of her books and berating her for her bad taste. When Max entered her room empty handed, she made a point of apologizing to Kate for not bringing any books. Kate had to stop herself from crying. 

In the second week, Max confessed to Kate that she had feelings for her. Kate responded by taking a page from Max’s book and chose to show, not tell. It was the first time either of them had kissed anyone, and ended with them giggling like little girls. 

In keeping with Max’s style, she never just came over to Kate’s room like a normal person. Kate always knew when her now girlfriend was outside when she heard the strumming of her guitar. Max liked to stand outside Kate’s room and softly sing love songs while playing her guitar. Kate would stand in the door and watch Max play and she could swear she’d never smiled brighter. Every day was a different song, but Max would fit Kate’s name into every song to emphasize her point. On the last day of the week Kate opened the door to find a frightened Max curled into a ball while Victoria and Taylor smashed her guitar. Courtney stood off to the side, filming and laughing. Other girls watched, but no one helped. When Max apologized to Kate for not playing her a song that night, Kate couldn’t stop herself from crying. Max comforted her, and it broke Kate’s heart to hear her blame herself. 

In the third week, Kate felt guilty about Max’s run in with Victoria and her goon squad. Her attempts at reasoning with the queen bee of Blackwell always resulted in more mockery and crude behavior on Victoria’s part. Despite the hardships brought on by the cruel and unforgiving students of their prestigious art school, Kate and Max’s relationship was as strong as ever. Wanting to do something nice for Max for a change, she invited her doe eyed companion over for tea, something they hadn’t done since before they started their romantic relationship.

Max being Max, she couldn’t let Kate do all the work, and opted to bring treats for their tea dates. On the first day, Kate was welcomed by the sight and smell of fresh baked cookies.Max explained she cut out of her last class early to join Dana in her baking class. Kate made a mental note that evening that Max’s lips tasted sweeter than the cookies. On Tuesday Max brought brownies. They both agreed brownies went better with milk than with tea. On Wednesday Max had meant to bring lemon bars. Kate wouldn't admit it, but she was secretly glad to hear Max had tripped on the stairs and dropped them. She didn’t care for lemon related foods. The humor of it wore off when the ruined lemon bars were taken from the trash and smeared on the walls and bed of Max’s room. It was obvious who had done it. 

In the fourth week, Max was quiet in class. Pictures of her taken by Victoria and her worshipers of their bullying made their way online, and the attention it brought Max has not been positive. Victoria had the audacity to turn in the photo of her making max cry by smashing her guitar for one of her projects. Kate asked Max to tell her friends Chloe and Rachel about what was happening at school. They weren’t here, of course, they were in Astoria for some modeling thing. Kate took a wild guess who was doing the modeling. When Kate told Max to at least call them, the whole conversation was swept under the carpet and left at that. 

That entire week was a whole script flip from what things had been like previously. It was like everyone forgot that a few short weeks ago Kate was standing on the roof of the girl’s dorm, looking down at her classmates for what she assumed would be the last time. A few mean spirited pictures appear online and suddenly the girl who had saved Kate from the worst decision of her life was being torn down by the same people who praised her for her actions on that roof. What didn’t occur to these hypocrite uptight trust fund art students, Kate figured, was that Max had a much stronger will than Kate did. Max was a brick wall, and the bullying she faced from Victoria could only do so much to chip away at her outer layers. 

When Max visited Kate’s dorm that night, she greeted the small blonde with what Kate could only assume was her attempt at a homemade cake. The hipster made a point of thanking Kate for being there for her whenever she needed. Kate wanted to protest, in fact she had done very little to help Max when she was being tormented these past weeks, but her attempts at speaking were silenced by a soft pair of lips colliding with her own. Between the taste of fruit and black coffee, and the feeling of euphoria from warm lips sliding against her own, Kate quickly forgot whatever words she had wanted to say. Max’s show don’t tell rule had definitely taken precedence over conversation tonight.


End file.
